stonecrandall Chapter 1122: Establishment of Intelligence Agencies and Emergency Response Departments!
Chapter 1122: Establishment of Intelligence Agencies and Emergency Response Departments!
Zhuge Liang nodded with satisfaction: "Indeed. This is a variation of the strategy of 'befriending distant states while attacking nearby ones'—'befriending all while distancing oneself from them.' When trading with the royal family, emphasize the contribution of commercial taxes; when dealing with the military, highlight the support of supplies; when befriending sects, show respect for martial arts. But never participate in the internal struggles of any party, maintaining the position of a neutral merchant."
“The most troublesome place is Dongyi City.” Zhuge Liang frowned slightly. “Although it is a small place, it is a strategic location that the three kingdoms must fight over. The forces within the city are complex and intertwined, including the merchant guild of Nanqing, the martial arts school of Beiqi, local powerful families, and even overseas forces. Liu Ruyan’s journey there is like walking on thin ice.”
He took out a scroll of silk from the drawer of his desk: "This is the 'Thirty-Six Strategies of Another World' that I prepared for the Green Robe Society, which transforms traditional military strategy into tactics for business and intelligence warfare. Make three copies and send them to Lin'an, Yanjing, and Dongyi City respectively, and give them to the three leaders."
Zhuge Jin unfolded the silk scroll, which began with the following: "First strategy, Deceive the heavens and cross the sea: use shops as a cover, and intelligence as the real substance; Second strategy, Besiege Wei to rescue Zhao: assist the Southern Qing Chamber of Commerce in fighting against the Northern Qi Merchants, diverting attention from our side; Third strategy, Use a borrowed knife to kill: incite local forces to fight each other, and I will reap the benefits..."
There are a total of thirty-six stratagems, each with detailed implementation methods and precautions.
"Kongming, these strategies are a bit too much..." Zhuge Zhan hesitated.
“Isn’t this insidious?” Zhuge Liang sighed. “Brother, you must understand that this is not a fair competition between gentlemen, but a contest between two worlds and two civilizations. If we are soft-hearted, not only will the plan fail, but we may also put the Qin Dynasty in danger. But remember, these strategies can only be used for self-defense and intelligence gathering. They must never be used to take lives or destroy people’s businesses—this is the bottom line.”
Zhuge Jin carefully put away the silk scroll: "I understand, brother. I will go and copy it now."
Zhuge Liang watched Zhuge Jin's departing figure, his gaze returning to the map. In the flickering candlelight, his whisper was almost inaudible: "Those who achieve great things are not bound by trifles... but they must not lose sight of the greater good. This balance is the most difficult to strike..."
To ensure smooth communication between the three outposts and Xianyang, Cao Can designed a sophisticated communication system.
Inside the Ministry of Works workshop, a group of craftsmen are making specially made pigeon cages. These cages are ingeniously constructed, with multiple layers, each capable of holding three pigeons.
"Lord Cao, as per your request, these pigeon cages are constructed using mortise and tenon joints, requiring no nails and making them easy to disassemble," the official in charge of the Ministry of Works explained. "Furthermore, the outer layer is coated with waterproof tung oil to prevent rainwater from entering."
Cao Can carefully inspected the cages: "It's still not enough. The carrier pigeons may encounter birds of prey from the lower world during their flight, so the cages need to be fitted with protective netting. In addition, the letter tubes on each pigeon's legs must be tamper-proof; if they are forcibly opened, the phosphorus powder inside will automatically burn the letter."
“This…” The official in charge of the Ministry of Works looked troubled. “Such an ingenious mechanism would be time-consuming and labor-intensive to make.”
"It must be done." Cao Can left no room for doubt. "These carrier pigeons are carrying top-secret intelligence. If they fall into enemy hands, the consequences will be unimaginable. If there is a shortage of manpower and resources, we can apply directly to Prime Minister Xiao."
Elsewhere, several clerks were learning codebreaking.
"This is a cipher system we improved based on the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching," the cipher instructor explained. "Each hexagram corresponds to a letter or a common word, and each letter uses a different hexagram sequence as the key. Even if a letter is intercepted, it cannot be deciphered without knowing the hexagram sequence of that day."
A young clerk asked, "What if the other side also has someone who is well-versed in the Book of Changes? Wouldn't that be dangerous?"
The instructor chuckled, “Good question. So we have prepared ten different cipher systems, which are rotated monthly, and each letter will begin with a note indicating which system is being used—but this note itself is encrypted, using a code known only to the sender and receiver.”
Cao Can added, "In addition to carrier pigeons, we have also set up three transit stations on the border, equipped with fast horses, as backup means of communication. Important intelligence must be sent through both channels simultaneously to ensure absolute safety."
He walked to a huge communication network map: "From Xianyang to the Kunlun Mountain pass, there are ten post stations, each equipped with twenty fast horses and fifty guards. From the pass to the capitals of the three kingdoms of the Nianxia world, there are five secret liaison points. In this way, urgent intelligence can be transmitted back to Xianyang from any of the points within seven days."
“But that’s not fast enough.” Cao Can’s expression was grave. “Seven days is too long in case of an emergency. Therefore, strategist Zhuge suggested setting up an ‘emergency letter-burning’ device at each stronghold. If a stronghold is about to be exposed, the person in charge can burn the codebook and all documents, and at the same time release a red carrier pigeon. The red carrier pigeon does not carry a letter, but only indicates ‘this place is dangerous, all personnel must evacuate immediately.’”
Everyone present was awestruck, sensing the seriousness and danger of this plan.
Cao Can concluded, “All communications personnel must remember: intelligence is more important than life, but life is more important than the intelligence station. If both cannot be obtained, save the person and abandon the station. This is His Majesty’s decree.”
Ran Min didn't participate in the preparation of supplies or the training of personnel. Instead, he quietly left Xianyang with ten trusted followers, heading to several secluded locations in the martial arts world. These locations mostly belonged to schools of thought from the Hundred Schools of Thought period, those known for their martial arts prowess. Although this part of the Chinese world currently lacked truly definitive martial arts, there were still many ways to train the body and cultivate martial arts skills. However, apart from Gao Yao's Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill, none of them could yet be considered true internal energy cultivation.
Ran Min's goal was to master these common martial arts techniques. Ran Min himself was extremely powerful and highly talented. Gao Yao's order to Ran Min was to integrate the strengths of various schools of martial arts and create a set of techniques best suited for widespread use in the army.
Although their strategy focused primarily on economic infiltration, both Xue Rengui and Yue Fei understood that they had to prepare for the worst-case scenario. In a secret room within the Ministry of War, the two men, facing a sand table depicting the world of the new era, simulated various possible military conflicts.
"If the Green Robe Society is exposed at one of its strongholds, and the local government sends troops to besiege it, how should we provide reinforcements?" Xue Rengui pointed to the model of Dongyi City on the sand table. "From here to the passage between the two realms, it takes three days by fast horse. By the time reinforcements arrive, I'm afraid..."
Yue Fei continued, "Therefore, each stronghold must have the ability to defend itself. I have ordered the Ministry of Works to specially manufacture a batch of 'protective fire mines,' which are not very powerful but have a huge sound, which can create chaos and buy time for evacuation. In addition, each stronghold is equipped with at least three secret passages leading to safe houses outside the city."
“But this can only handle small-scale conflicts.” Xue Rengui placed several terracotta warrior models on the sand table. “If a country realizes our threat and sends a large army to encircle and annihilate us, the Qingyi Society alone is powerless to resist.”
Yue Fei nodded: "Therefore, we need a mobile force that can react quickly. I suggest that we station 5,000 elite troops near the Kunlun Mountain Pass. This force must meet several conditions: first, be able to adapt to the climate and terrain of the world; second, be good at mountain warfare and small-scale raids; and third, be able to disguise themselves as caravan guards or mercenaries."